Connecticut western news., 1887-08-03
THE FIFTIETH CONGRESS.
THE NEW MEN WHO WILL TAKE
 PART IN LAW MAKING.
141 New Faces in Both Houses-A Lot of Young and Bright Men.


 141 New Faces in Both Houses-A
 Lot of Young and Bright Men.
 One of the latest things Ben Perley Poore did before his death was to send out to the members of the Fiftieth Congress the usual request for such biographical information about themselves as they might want to see in the Congressional Directory. But few re- sponses were forthcoming, and Major Michael, who succeeded the veteran correspondent as editor of the Directory, was obliged to send out second request for material. He has re- ceived sketches from all but about & dozen members-the average number that never send in their biographies, but wait for the editor to hunt them up after the season opens.
 Of the Al new men forty-nine are lawyers, thirty eight have served in the Legislatures of their States, and thirty two are college gradu- ates-a high average of ability, and one that bespeaks from the old members of Congress very polite consideration.
 The average age of the new members is about 45 James Phelan of Memphis will be the youngest man of the Fiftieth Congress. He was born Dec. 5, 1856 and will lack two days of being 31 years old the day he takes his seat. His father was Senator ill the Confederate Congress from Mississippi, and young Phelan enters public life with only boys very faint recollections of the war period: The oldest
 
 was born March 3l, 1877, and will be we'll on in his 71st year when he takes his seat.
 Judge Miles Toby Granger of Connecticut will also be 70 years old when he takes his seat, but he is five months younger than Gen: Van dever. Judge Granger and Gov. Davis of Min nesota are the only IL. D.'s.
 Among the new men of Congress probably the most completely educated member IS the youngest, MT. Phelan. After graduating from the Kentucky Military Institute he went to {1,oT T1,,iv, sfu of To:r,c Thoro he says, after Michaelmas, 1S75 he received private instruction in Latin from Richard Sacbuse, head teacher in the university. After delivering dissertation on Philip Massinger and his plays MT. Phean received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and returned to Mem phis, where he began to practice law in 1881. Young Phelan beat Zachary Taylor in the race for Congress.
 Perhaps the member with the least schooling is Congressman Finley of Kentucky, who says in his sketch that he began life without educa- tion sufficient to transact business, and penni- less. Still he seems to have done pretty we'll in life, being good lawyer, and having served several terms in the Legislature and sat on the bench several years.
 There are nine ex-Confederates among the new members and thirteen Union soldiers. The Confederates are not Brigadiers by any means, the highest rank attained by any of them belonging to Senator Daniel of Virginia, who was Adjutant-General of Jubal Early's division. Most of the ex-Confederate mem bers were Lieutenants or Captains. The high est rank attained by any of the Union soldiers was Gen. Vandever. Going into the war as Colonel, he was made Brigadier in 1862 and a Major General in 1865.
 Probably the mildest war record was Sena- tor Chandler's. He. was Judge Advocate of the Navy during the war. Congressman Boothman of Ohio lost his left leg in the ser vice. He seems to be the only maimed man among the new members, with the exception of Congressman John Lind of Minnesota, who lost his right arm in 8 threshing ma chine.
 An interesting fact appears in the nativity of the new members. Most of them were born in the States they represent Conger, Mo- Donald of Minnesota, Kerr of Iowa, and White were born in Scotland. Congressman Hagen of Wisconsin was born in Norway. Congressman Dind of Minnesota was born in Sweden. MT. Lagen of Louisiana and Judge Wilson of Minnesota were born in Ireland. Fifty-four new members were born in the States they come from. Very few carpet bag gers appear in the list. Perhaps George Van- dever of California is best entitled to this name. He went to California from Iowa in 1884, and was elected to Congress before he had been there two years. He served in Con- gress two terms from Iowa before the war.
 Marion Biggs another California member, is also carpet -bagger,. but of the sort that make Bret Harte's stories so delightful. He says he is regular Pike from Missouri, who went to the Golden Gate in the days of the Ar gonauts. Congressman Thompson of Califor- mia IS an interesting carpet-bagger. He was born in Virginia, and is the son of Judge R. Augustine Thompson who was in the Thir- teenth Congress, and the grandson of Philip R. Thompson, who was in the Virginia delega- tion to the Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Congresses. Thompson went to California long before the war, and since 1860 has owned and edited the Sonoma Democrat. He was for gav of Gfafa Hal a or more new members still live in the towns in which they were born. Among these are Sen- ator Chandler of Concord, N. H.; Senator Daniel of Lynchburg, Va; Mir. Elliott of Beaufort, s. C., Bob Smalls opponent; Gen. Lucas of Charleston, w. Va, and James Schoolcraft Sherman of Utica.
 The literary men show up well in the addi- tions to the Fiftieth Congress. Henry Cabot Lodge says: "My business is literature" Sen ator Daniel alludes to the fact that he is author of Daniel on Negotiable Instruments" There are not many clergymen in the next Congress. Stewart of Georgia and Mckinney of New Hampshire are ministers Mckinney served through the war and went through college after he was 2S years old, ill order to enter the ministry.
 The list of editors includes Mir. Amos J. Cummings, editor of the New York Euening Sun; MT. Carlton of the Athens, Ga., Bonner; Euloc of the Jackson Tribune, and Mir. Thompson of the Sonoma, Cal, Democrat. 1ueIC dIo, Ol COuIst, queer ptT6Oudl things to be found in batch of biographies of new Congressman. One man says he married Cora Sweet on June 15, 1885, and on the same day was endorsed by his county convention as candidate for Congress. A Southern member tells the readers of the Directory that his mothers name was Nancy Smith, and her father was one of the pioneers of the noun tainous region in his State. It is Southern member, also, who remembers to describe his personal appearance. He says: "Am six feet tall, weigh 21o pounds, have soft, auburn hair and blue eyes,"
 A Pennsylvania member tells how his grand father was one of the Philadelphia merchants who, with Robert Morris, gave $26, GOO to help Washington fit out his army. AWcstern Con- gressman says he has five children, and gives their names and ages, from which we learn that Arthur, the youngest is one year and two months old.
 | There are two Mexican war veterans-Rice of Minnesota and Hare of Ohio. There is one ex-Senator in the New House. Buckalew of Pennsylvania; and two ex-Governors appear in the next Congress, Senator Davis of Minnesota and Gov. Gear of Iowa.
 Among the laboring men is Senator Blodgett of New Jersey, who began life as an apprentice in the Amoskeag Engine Works; Congressman Nichols of North Carolina, who served six years as an apprentice in a printing office; | Henry Smith of Milwaukee, who is mill wright, and was elected by the Peoples Labor party; and J. B. White of Indiana, who was calico printer in Scotland, and has been a tailor for many years in this country al- though he is now manufacturer of carriage wheels.
 An Addition to the Navy. | Tie Secretary of the Navy invites proposals